United in Love and Death
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: What would happen if Peeta and Katniss had been sent back into the arena well into their adult lives, after the events of Mockingjay? And would they be in there alone? Read to find out. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Oh Christmas Tree

**Chapter 1: Oh, Christmas Tree**

It was a pleasant winter's night at the Mellark home in District 12. Katniss and Peeta, along with their two children, Eric and Clementine, were busy getting ready for Christmas: a new holiday recently reinstated by the Panem government after records of the tradition were discovered in archives hidden by the previous oppressive Snow regime. Haymitch Abernathy, the couple's adopted father and surrogate grandfather to their children, was sitting peacefully on the couch, watching Eric and Clementine decorate the tree. Katniss was at the piano, playing a simple carol as Peeta sang along.

 _Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree!_ _Thy leaves are so unchanging_ _Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree,_ _Thy leaves are so unchanging_

 _Not only green when summer's here,_ _But also when 'tis cold and drear._ _Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree,_ _Thy leaves are so….._

He paused, cocking his head and listening as his wife played what sounded like a flubbed chord. Katniss frowned, and tapped the key repeatedly. It did sound a little flat. Peeta shrugged.

"Must have been a little dusty." Katniss ran her fingers over the keys and smiled up at him.

"I don't see how you ever managed to get it downstairs from the attic all those years ago."

"Well, I didn't do it alone. Your mother and Prim helped…." He stopped, realizing what he was saying but too late. Katniss looked away sadly. She tried to distract herself by continuing the carol, but didn't get very far before she broke down and cried. Peeta held her. Even after 25 years, Katniss still grieved for her beloved, dead sister Prim. Haymitch and the children noticed the commontion, but before they could ask what was going on, another sound pierced the air:

 _"Oh, Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree, thy leaves are so unchanging/ Oh, Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree, thy leaves are so unchanging…."_

Looking out the window, Eric spotted three figures approaching, one riding what looked like a donkey. His face lit up.

"It's Aunt Annie and Uncle Beetee and Finn! What have you got there?" He ran out the door, Clementine and the family dog, Copper, hot on his heels. The former Hunger Games victors continued to sing:

 _"Not only green when summer's here,/ But also when tis cold and drear./ Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree,/ Thy leaves are so unchanging."_

"What have you got there?" Eric called again over Copper's barking. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Eric!" Finn whooped, spinning his little cousin around in the air before running up towards the house. "Eric!" Beetee smiled, ruffling the boy's hair as he took off in his wheelchair after Finn. Eric smiled at his Aunt Annie, who he now could see was riding the Mellark family donkey, Mustang. Annie smiled.

"We borrowed him from Haymitch's stable; we wanted to surprise you."

Meanwhile, Finn and the other victors were rushing up the driveway to embrace their District 12 counterparts.

"Merry Christmas, Aunt Katniss!"

"Oh, Merry Christmas, sweetheart!"

"Finn! Happy Christmas!" Peeta greeted.

"Katniss! Peeta! Haymitch! Happy Christmas!" Beetee arrived. The men broke out into song.

 _"Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, thy leaves are so unchanging!"_

* * *

Later, back in the house, Katniss and Peeta caught up with their friends.

"So, Johanna couldn't come?"

"No, she thought it best that we rendezvous with her in Seven on our way to the Capitol for Enobaria's party," Beetee explained. Their other fellow victor, the only living Career tribute in Panem, Enobaria Golding, had left her native District 2 behind to live in the Capitol after the war. She had invited everyone to her place for a Christmas celebration. When Katniss and Peeta broke this surprise to the kids, they were ecstatic.


	2. Chapter 2: Enobaria's Party

**Chapter 2: Enobaria's Party**

The next morning, the Victors, Finn and the Mellark children boarded a train bound for the Capitol. After traveling most of the morning, they stopped in District Seven to pick up Johanna Mason, that region's only living victor. Eric and Clementine were thrilled to see their Auntie Johanna again.

By nightfall, Eric and Clementine had fallen asleep. The victors disembarked the train, Peeta carrying Clementine and Finn carrying Eric, before being slipped into waiting cabs to take them to Enobaria's place. The former Career greeted them warmly, though the hushed hellos from the adults did not stop Eric from rousing.

"Aunt Enobaria!" Enobaria smiled and ruffled his hair. Eric didn't even flinch at the fangs. Ever since he and Clementine had been told about the Hunger Games and met their parents' friends, they had considered the other Victors of Panem family.

Since it was still early, Clementine and Eric were allowed to wake and quietly play around the house while the adults talked. Finn took it upon himself to entertain his younger cousins (for that's what he considered them). A little into the night, Peeta noticed Enobaria standing off by herself, smiling at the sight before her. He sauntered over.

"Aren't you gonna join us, Eno?"

Enobaria blinked. "Oh… well, I didn't want to impose on you or the kids."

Peeta blinked, amused. "How? You invited us."

Enobaria sighed. "Ever since the war, I know that I fought on the wrong side for a long time. I tried to kill you and Katniss and the others in the Quell. I just feel like it isn't my place to be included; how can you include me?"

Peeta smiled. "It doesn't matter anymore who fought on what side, Enobaria. That's in the past. You won the Hunger Games. Survived the war. That's something only six other people in this entire country can claim. We are bound in ways that nobody else can understand. Besides, we forgave you for your mistakes a long time ago - at least Katniss and I did. To us, you're as good as family now."

Enobaria didn't cry, but she smirked and punched Peeta in the arm. "I always knew deep down I liked you, Lover Boy."

Peeta grinned back, and then led her over to the rest of the family.


	3. Chapter 3: Betrayal

**Chapter 3: Betrayal**

By the next morning, the press had gotten wind that the Victors of Panem were in the Capitol and insisted that they visit President Paylor to help kick off the country's Christmas celebration. After some discussion, the Victors agreed. Katniss and Peeta left Eric and Clementine with Finn at Enobaria's place.

When the Victors entered the Presidential office, President Paylor greeted them warmly.

"And now," she announced. "To kick off the Christmas celebration."

"Now?" Katniss asked. She didn't feel ready.

"Yes, now," Paylor smiled. Then: "Seize them."

Guards suddenly surrounded the Victors and bound them. No one even had a chance to fight back.

"Madame President, what the hell is going on here?!" Haymitch roared. Paylor calmly plucked a flower from a vase on her desk.

"The people in the Capitol have grown restless of our new form of government, Mr. Abernathy. After 25 years of freedom, they believe we are in a position of weakness. I must earn their trust and convince them that a democracy will not only work, but also show strength. However, in order to do that, a brief return to the old ways is required." She turned to the guards. "Take them away and prepare the arena for tomorrow morning."

Annie screamed, and Peeta's heart sank. _Arena…._ they were going back for a third time, at least for most of them.

"You're no different from Snow! Or Coin!" Katniss screamed in a rage.

"Not all humans are pure of heart, Mockingjay," Paylor responded, and she sounded almost sad. "You, of all people, should understand that."

* * *

The seven Victors of Panem soon found themselves in a darkly lit room, a post in the center. The group was all lashed by chains to the post, though some were grouped together: Peeta and Katniss were tied up back-to-back, as were Johanna and Enobaria. Haymitch, Beetee and Annie were bound to each other in a three-way fan shape; Beetee's wheelchair seemed to be the one thing now anchoring a hysterical Annie into some semblance of reality.

Peeta let out a long sigh and spoke up. "Well, Merry fucking Christmas, everybody. I certainly wasn't expecting _this_ for a present."

"Yeah, no shit, Lover Boy," Johanna growled.

"Johanna…." Haymitch warned threateningly. "Before we all start pointing fingers…. just don't. This is nobody's fault. Except for Paylor. Paylor betrayed us all."

"No, I did this," Katniss admitted. "All this happened because of me…. and now I'll never see Eric or Clementine again." She began to sob. Peeta tried to reach around and hold her as best she could. Katniss accepted his touch until her weeping for her beloved son and daughter turned into sniffles. She then noticed Peeta's uncomfortable position.

"Don't get yourself in a knot over me. Here, find a way to lie down or something."

"No," Peeta brushed her off. "The handcuffs… they're actually soothing." Katniss remembered how, when he was hijacked, he would insist on being handcuffed to prevent himself from slipping into false memories and lose control. She recalled being back in Tigris' cellar, chaining her husband to the stair banister.

Just then, a door opened, pouring a pool of light into the room. A guard stepped in. "You have visitors," he announced. But instead of anyone coming in, he promptly left the room again and closed the door behind him. Immediately following, a television screen popped out of the wall. On it now flashed an image of Finn, Eric and Clementine.

"Mommy!" Clementine called. Katniss struggled fiercely against her chains; their length giving her just enough slack to press her body up against the screen. She wished she could touch the screen with her hand, as if that might allow her to caress her babies' faces, but she had to settle for pressing her cheek against the TV.

"I'm here, baby girl. It's Mommy, darling. And Daddy's here, too. Listen, Mommy, Daddy, Grandpa and the others are…not going to be home for a while."

Clementine burst into tears, along with Eric, and Katniss could tell they knew the truth. Their family was being forced back into the arena where they would surely die. "Ssshhh…. hush now, it's all right," she soothed, even though it wasn't. She then called for her son. "Eric." He stood in front of the screen. "Be a big boy and be strong for your sister."

Eric choked back tears. "I will, Mom."

"Good little man," Katniss said quietly. _Just like his father_ , she thought. "Can I speak to your cousin, please?" Finn moved to the front.

"Yeah, Aunt Katniss?"

Katniss tried to tell him her last wishes, but she couldn't without breaking down. Peeta filled in for her, using the mastery of words that only he had.

"Look after them, Finn. On your honor."

Finn nodded. "On my honor, Uncle Peeta."

A guard suddenly appeared on the screen. Katniss panicked as her children and adopted nephew began to be led away.

"Take care of them, Finn! Whatever you do, don't let them starve!"

"I won't! You know I won't, Aunt Katniss! Remember, I-" The door on the screen slammed shut. Moments later, the door of the Victors' cell opened… and in the children were flung.

"Dad!" Eric ran to Peeta, Clementine right behind him. Peeta embraced them, finally losing it himself as he tearfully kissed every part of them that he could reach. The guard suddenly seized the young Mellarks.

"No!" Katniss screamed. "Leave them alone!" The guard ignored her as he pulled out another chain and lashed Eric and Clementine back to back on it and handcuffed them. Thankfully, they were seated next to their parents. Meanwhile, the guards were having a tougher time with Finn. Two beat him into submission, while another released Annie from next to Beetee and Haymitch. Finn was forced into handcuffs next to his mother. All ten were now grouped off in pairs.

As soon as the guards slammed the door behind them, Katniss burst into tears again. Her children would know the horrors of the arena…and there was nothing she could do about it. She, Peeta and the kids huddled together and cried themselves to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Back to Hell

**Chapter 4: Back to Hell**

The next morning, the Victors and children were awoken by an announcement:

"Attention, tributes, attention: prepare to be launched into the arena. Stay where you are, we will be moving you momentarily." All at once, there was a rumble as the floor itself seemed to rise. Katniss stiffened, which Peeta felt next to him.

"Don't be afraid," he told his wife.

"I'm not afraid to die," she admitted softly. "I've been dying a little bit every day since you came into my life." She smiled sadly at him. "I love you."

Peeta gave her a soft smile in return. "Real or not real?"

Katniss' grin only broadened, even as her eyes filled with tears, her voice coming out now in a choked whisper. "Real. I truly, _deeply_ love you….and before we die I want you to know."

Peeta twisted his head back to face her. Katniss stretched towards him and their lips met tenderly. They broke apart just as light blinded them, as the post and everything tied to it was brought up into the mortal world.

Katniss adjusted her eyes. They seemed to be on a plane of desert sand. Directly behind their pole was the gaping mouth of the Cornucopia. On one side, in the distance, she could see a mountain rising up over savannah-like plains. To the other side, she saw a frozen wasteland. And directly in front of her was a jagged, lava flowing rocky landscape, complete with a volcano. All around them, in a circular ring, were the tribute pedestals. One human with blond hair caught Katniss' eye. When he looked up, her heart seemed to stop.

It was Cato, the final tribute she had killed in her first Games. She recognized more faces - both of dead victors from the 3rd Quarter Quell and tributes from the 74th Games, many of whom had names to place with faces. Marvel, Glimmer, Cato, Clove, Foxface, Thresh and Rue were all here. As well as Gloss, Cashmere, Brutus, Wiress, Mags, Finnick (oh, god, Finnick!), Blight, Woof, Cecelia, Chaff and Seeder. That was 18 adversaries; interspersed amongst them were half-a-dozen mutations. These were the 24 tributes….and in their dash for the Cornucopia, they would be also coming directly at the ten trapped prisoners.

"Let the 77th Hunger Games begin! May the odds be ever in your favor!" the announcer boomed. Katniss began to panic. They had to get free of their chains and get out of there! Peeta nudged her.

"I'll kill any one of them with my bare hands before they get to you or the kids!" he vowed.

"That's nice, honey, but we have to _free_ our hands first!" she snapped back. Without even realizing it, the old Katniss from the Games was returning. She was willing herself to be a player. The countdown began.

"10…9….8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1." The gong sounded. The tributes charged for the Cornucopia. A reptilian like mutation - Katniss recognized it as an acklay - reached the horn first and went right for Haymitch, who by now had managed to manipulate himself into a crouching position without toppling Beetee over in his chair. The acklay snapped one of its sharp talons toward the old former drunk. Haymitch side-stepped at the last moment, so that the acklay's talons snapped his chains away from the post, freeing him from both it and Beetee. Haymitch spun away, dodging the acklay's talons. The acklay stabbed downward with the lethal blades, Haymitch rolling around on the ground to evade them while leading the beast away from the others, back towards the horn.

Meanwhile, another bull-like mutation called a rector was charging full-bore towards the post, the horn on his crown poised to strike. Finn steeled himself. He wasn't a victor himself, but he was the son of two of them. And now he had to prove himself to his dead father and namesake.

"Hit the deck!" he called to his mother. Then, he flipped over the rector. It thundered underneath him and ran over his mother's fetal form, so that the beast hit the post instead, toppling it over. Everyone still tied down screamed as gravity tugged them to earth. Finn flipped onto the rector's back, yanking his chains free of the post and wrapping it around the rector's neck, forming a sort of reins.

The other mutations and tributes were getting closer. Haymitch seized a spear and jabbed at the acklay with it; the mutt rearing up on its legs and shrieking angrily. "Hiyaa!" Haymitch snarled. "Back!" Instead, the acklay took the pointed end of the long spear in its mouth and snapped it in half like a twig. Haymitch blinked before running away from his adversary, trying to locate a new weapon to fight back with. At last, he discovered a trusty knife and threw it into the acklay's neck, killing it. BOOM. He ran to his family and used a blowtorch he had found to cut them free of their chains. There was nothing they could do about the handcuffs' manacles - which were all that remained - at the moment, but at least all were free to move about. The Victors grabbed as many weapons as they could carry.

"Finn!" Peeta roared, as he now battled the automaton version of Brutus. "Take your mother and the kids to the mountain! We'll meet you there!"

"Yes, sir!" his nephew responded. He scooped up Clementine to join him on the rector's back, while still keeping a grip on the trident he had recovered. "Mother, Eric, quickly! Come along!" Annie pulled Eric by the hand before lifting the boy up to Finn and then following. The four thundered away from the Cornucopia and towards the savanna plains beyond.

The robotic, resurrected versions of the Quell victors and tributes were harder to kill, but the Victors of Panem put up an impressive fight of their own. Katniss fired an arrow into Glimmer's thigh, wounding but not killing her. Johanna hurled an axe in Marvel's direction, just missing him. Haymitch dueled with a third dog-like mutation, eventually succeeding in killing it. BOOM. Enobaria wrestled with a snake-like mutation, before overpowering it, tying it to the fallen post and chopping off its head. Next second, she doubled back and struck a bear-like mutation through with a broadsword. BOOM. The one remaining mutation, similar to a leopard, lunged for Beetee, who up until this point had been furiously tinkering with some wires by the Cornucopia. The monster sank its teeth into Beetee's thigh. The bespectacled victor howled in pain, before gritting his teeth and stinging his foe with a taser. The leopard howled and stepped back, giving Beetee just enough distraction to slap a device to its chest. After a few beeps, the leopard exploded as Beetee's makeshift bomb killed it. The blast did not kill Beetee, but did overturn his chair. Another cannon sounded. BOOM.

A clang from behind her made Katniss look about. "Let's clear out!" The six heroes retreated for the mountain, Peeta pushing a wounded Beetee in his wheelchair, despite protests.

"No, leave me, son! Leave me!" Beetee begged.

"Over my dead body!" Peeta growled to the old man. The tributes and resurrected victors - all of whom survived - did not follow them. They soon reached the foot of the mountain and regrouped. Beetee had his burns and bite wounds healed with some medicine found in the Cornucopia. The 79-year-old only gave in when Katniss threatened him with her bow. The six now looked around. "Where are the others?" asked Peeta.

"Look!" Enobaria pointed up. At the top of the mountain, they could see the captured rector, and just make out Annie, Clementine, Eric and Finn huddled safely around it.

"Oh, great," Johanna groused. "How do we get up there?"

"Climb, of course," Haymitch shot back. He soon found a somewhat-marked, rocky path that did require climbing but at least gave them a clear direction to go in. He began searching for handholds and footholds. Peeta offered to carry his wife up the mountain, but she refused with an offended scowl.

"I'm not pregnant anymore, Peeta!" she reminded him. "Besides, your track record of carrying me hasn't always been the best!" Unseen by the couple, Haymitch snickered as he thought back to his protégés' wedding day. Upon carrying his bride across the threshold, Peeta had tripped over the doorframe and nearly dropped her. Peeta conceded to Katniss' insistence, for a new problem now arose.

"What about Volts and his chair?" Johanna asked. Beetee smiled serenely.

"Now you all will have to leave me behind."

"Will you get off of the whole 'leave-me-behind' bullshit?" Enobaria snapped. "We're not going to do that! If the others tributes find you, you'll be a sitting duck - not to mention leading them right to us! Besides, we're family; you don't leave behind family!"

"I've got an idea!" Peeta piped up. He presented the old coils of chain from the post that he had thought to take with them. "We''ll lash his chair to these and pull him along. We can take turns."

"Peeta, you're a genius!" Katniss beamed.

So that's what they did. Enobaria led the way up the mountain. Following her was Haymitch, Peeta and Johanna, alternating pulling the chains holding Beetee's chair amongst themselves. Katniss brought up the rear with her bow. At one point, the chair banged around dangerously when Peeta stumbled, nearly dragging them all down the mountain.

"I hope my strength holds out," Beetee mused dramatically.

"I hope your chair holds out! Uhhh!" Peeta groaned, straining against the chains.

At long last, they reached the summit. Eric and Clementine ran to embrace their parents, while Haymitch and Johanna righted Beetee's chair. Enobaria cautiously approached the captured rector. She smiled at the Mellark children sweetly.

"This thing might be useful against the other tributes. Looks like you guys managed to tame it."

"Oh, that wasn't us, Aunt Eno," Eric corrected from where he was just finishing a hug with his mother, and he looked up with admiration at Finn. "It was Finn!"

Katniss eyed the mutation warily before whispering to her husband. "Nevertheless, if we can't find food soon, we may have to kill it for meat." Peeta nodded slowly, preferring to remain neutral on what should be done with the rector. He set to work removing the manacles from his hands, as well as from the rest of his blood and extended family.

Near the back of their summit outcropping was a set of rocks that formed a little cave like hut. The very rocky top of the mountain provided a sort of roof for this space, and the other rocks formed a kind of half-ring that one could hide behind as cover.

* * *

Night fell several hours later, and the faces of the five dead mutations appeared in the sky. Eric and Clementine settled down to sleep soon after, nestled against Finn as Katniss sang the Meadow Song to them. One by one, the others fell off as well. Only Peeta remained awake, a sword across his knees, standing guard as he peered off into the distance. Down in the desert area, he could see the faint glow of campfires. Katniss noted her husband's position when she got up about an hour later from a nightmare.

"Aren't you coming to bed?"

Peeta shook his head back at her. Katniss wriggled herself away from where Haymitch had fallen asleep against her and sat beside him. She put her arms around him in comfort. She didn't have to ask what was wrong; he began to tell her freely:

"I always told myself that….ever since I returned to Twelve, I promised to protect you and Eric and Clementine, with my own life if I had to. Once everything quieted down, I think I let my guard down and figured….I would never have to. And I never imagined having to do it in this setting."

Katniss kissed him on the cheek. "I know. But we took vows to protect each other 'until death do us part.' Remember? You upheld that today - battling Brutus, getting Finn and the children to safety. You're a wonderful father and a great uncle." She sighed. "I don't think any of us will be leaving this arena alive. But, even when we die, we'll die as a family, together, protecting our loved ones. And maybe…there is a better place - better than any district and certainly any arena - where we can all be together." She kissed him hungrily again and he returned it. "Now," she said quietly, pulling him to his feet. "Let's go to sleep and be with our kids."

And the couple slipped back to the cave, holding each other as they squeezed in between Haymitch and Finn.


	5. Chapter 5: Spirits in the Night

**Chapter 5: Spirits in the Night**

A clap of thunder roused Haymitch from his sleep later that night. He yelped as he came into the conscious world, his knife at the ready. When no danger appeared, he softened. Suddenly, he gasped.

A white, translucent figure stood before him. A figure he thought he might never see again, who now swelled his heart.

"Rosemary?"

His old girlfriend, killed by the Capitol after he had won the Second Quarter Quell, smiled down at him sweetly. "Hello, Haymitch."

The former drunk got to his feet, careful not to wake Katniss and Peeta. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you."

Haymitch looked down, ashamed. "I never wanted you to see me like this: an old, former alcoholic man battling for his life."

"Maybe not, but that is not what I see right now," she explained. She nodded to the sleeping Mellark family. "I see a man who gained a new family after losing his own." She stood over Katniss and Peeta. "They are the children we never got to have together, Haymitch. And the grandchildren." She nodded towards Eric and Clementine. "They've helped change you back into the Haymitch I knew before, and even in, the arena. For that, I will be grateful to them."

Haymitch looked back at the family Rosemary spoke of. He smiled. "I'd do anything for those little kids and their parents," he growled, his voice fierce with love. "Why, I'd even…"

Rosemary laid a hand on his shoulder. "I know you would. And you may be faced with that scenario soon enough. For right now, sleep, and live to fight another day." She turned to go before smiling back at him. "We'll see each other again soon, Haymitch. I love you." She disappeared.

Haymitch croaked out through tears. "I love you too." Then he went back to sleep.

* * *

A little later, Finn awoke from bad dreams in which he saw his mother tortured. What his eyes beheld next made him wonder if he had even left the dream at all.

A ghost of a man that he had only seen in pictures now stood before him. "Finn…" the older Odair called.

"Father?" Finn squirmed quietly away from Eric and Clementine, lowering their sleeping forms to the rocks before facing his namesake.

Finnick Odair, Sr. smiled with pride. "My son….my grown-up son….you're so handsome. And I'm so proud of you. I know that being forced into my world and the world of your mom has not been easy for you, but you have managed so beautifully. You have something the arena can never take away from you."

"What's that?" Finn wanted to know.

"A good heart. No matter how many tributes you may kill, whether you live or die, the Games cannot change your good heart - that is part of what makes us human. And you have shown that capacity all your life: looking after your mother, caring for those little cousins of yours." He grinned in Eric and Clementine's direction. "They're cute kids; remind me a lot of your aunt and uncle." He sighed. "Just promise me one thing, son."

"Anything, Father."

"Never become a piece in this Capitol's Games. Stick to your principles and protect the ones you love at all costs. You understand me?"

"Yes, sir."

Finnick clapped the youth on the shoulder. "Good man." He glanced about. "And now I must go. Farewell, my boy. I love you." The deceased District 4 victor disappeared, leaving his offspring to return to bed.

* * *

Still later, Katniss awoke from another nightmare. The dream seemed to have not fled entirely, for she could still hear someone softly calling her name.

"Katniss…Katniss…."

At first, she panicked, thinking back to the lizard mutts in the Capitol sewers during her mission to kill Snow. Then, she realized the voice sounded like Peeta, but when she looked, her husband was still out like a light. The voice persisted. She drew her bow.

"Who's there?"

"Peace, my child. Lower your weapon and look at me."

Turning, Katniss spotted a ghostly apparition standing before her. It couldn't be….the baker? Peeta's dad…..

"Mr. Mellark?"

Her father-in-law smiled. "Now, Katniss, we should be on much less formal terms now. 'Steffan' will do just fine."

Katniss shifted, not wanting to rise for fear of waking Peeta. Speaking of which….

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be visiting your son?"

"He has far greater worries on his mind. I thought you could handle my entreaty the most effectively."

"What is it?"

"You will face many dangers in this arena. No matter what happens, fight to the last. Before the worst of it comes, I also want to thank you: for being there for and loving my son. It was what he always wanted ever since he was a little boy. Thank you for giving him children; the grandkids I always hoped for but did not live to see. Protect them."

Katniss' eyes filled with tears. "I will, Steffan. And let me thank you: for raising such a….wonederful, loving man. Peeta is my whole world, you should know that."

Steffan grinned softly. "God be with you. And so, I say farewell. I have loved you as a daughter, and so I wish for you every safety." He vanished, and Katniss snuggled against Peeta and fell back to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Battle on the Mountaintop

**Chapter 6: Battle on the Mountaintop**

Katniss and Peeta arose an hour before dawn. Katniss decided not to tell him about his father visiting her in the night. Together, they kept watch and observed the stars beginning to recede from the sky. Katniss had a feeling the end would come with the dawn. The thought of leaving this world, of going into the unknown, made her ill and anguished.

"It would have been better if we had never met, none of this would have happened," she bemoaned to her husband. Peeta's soothing touch found her arm.

"Katniss, look at me" She gazed up into his eyes. "I'd rather die tomorrow… then live a hundred years without knowing you." Katniss leaned her head on his shoulder as they watched the sun rise. With its ascent came the rousing of the other Victors and the children. As the ten people began to fix a measly breakfast, regrettably killing the rector for its meat, Haymitch suddenly heard a voice shout:

"Abernathy! I want to talk with you! Do you hear me?" The others froze in fear and looked to Haymitch. From his perch on a rock, the 67-year-old spotted, far below them, a figure at the foot of the mountain. It was Brutus, and he was waving a white flag of truce.

"We hear you!" Haymitch called back.

"Bring the Mockingjay down the mountain! Give us the Mockingjay, and nobody gets hurt! No more fighting!"

Haymitch didn't believe this for one second; looking back to his now-armed family, he could tell they didn't either. So, he hollered back:

"You want the Mockingjay, you come and get her! We're ready for you! And you can put away your white flag!"

Brutus didn't seem to like this answer. "You will make us fight a long time! Then you will die! And I shall take the Mockingjay all the same!" He ducked behind some rocks.

"Maybe it would be better to agree," Katniss suggested. The others looked at her as though she had three heads; only Haymitch seemed unfazed.

"Don't worry," he promised, as he leapt lightly from his perch, bracing himself against the mountain face as he entered their cave-like enclave. "He wouldn't bargain with us if he thought he could beat us!"

"But, it's true," Katniss despaired. "If the other tributes come for us, we can't possibly hold them off forever!" This certainly was a fair assumption: what with Eric and Clementine untrained in any kind of combat, and Annie and Beetee too weak to fight.

"You're not the Girl on Fire anymore, Katniss," Peeta reminded her. "You know what might happen if you give yourself up now?"

Katniss looked close to tears. "Do you know what might happen to all of you if I don't?"

"Nothing's going to happen to anybody!" Peeta vowed fiercely.

"He must think we're insane!" Johanna gawked. "Katniss, don't listen to him, it's a trick, I know it…."

Just then, a rattling occurred. Eric gasped. "My tribute alarm! My tribute alarm! They're coming up that way!" And indeed, the other tributes were scaling the mountain from the backside, hoping to engage the prisoners in a surprise attack. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Eric had crafted an alarm out of metal and other odds and ends he had found in the Cornucopia, leaving it on the mountainside as the rector had carried him, his sister, cousin and aunt up the great landmark. And now, Gloss had gotten himself stuck in it, alerting the prisoners in the nick of time. Everyone scrambled around to the other side, Eric throwing down a bomb that Beetee had fashioned out of a coconut. Haymitch, Peeta and Finn seized muskets they had recovered from the Cornucopia and began firing on the tributes. One, two, three, fell from the mountainside to the earth below, dead. Marvel shot powder from a blowgun, narrowly missing Haymitch on the cave's roof as he reloaded.

"Down, Annie, get down!" he called. Eric threw more coconut bombs before his mother dragged him back into the cave and safety. A fourth tribute rolled down the mountain after being hit by returning fire. Unfortunately, a few losses had not prevented the survivors from reaching the summit. Marvel suddenly scrambled onto the rocky outcropping of the summit and attacked Peeta. The pair dueled, sword on musket.

"Look out there, Peeta!" Haymitch called.

"Haymitch, look out!" Katniss screamed. Her mentor turned in the nick of time to block an attack from Cato, shielding his head with the musket before poking its bayonet into Cato's stomach and thus pushing him off the mountain. Peeta, meanwhile, parried attacks from Marvel, before finally disarming him and shoving the District 1 tribute back with his musket. Marvel fell head-upon-heels over the side with a scream. The cannons were having to fire all together, just to keep up with the deaths. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.

Another tribute snuck up on Finn, but Johanna saw her. "Finn, look!" Finn whirled around and beat the tribute - Seeder - over the head with his musket, disarming her and breaking her skull. BOOM. He then ducked a vicious sickle swipe from old Woof before clubbing him with the musket too. BOOM. More gunfire could be heard as the prisoners tried to hold back the remaining ten tributes still doggedly climbing the mountain. They had managed to whittle themselves down to even numbers, but the heroes didn't know if they could keep it up.

Finn handed his younger cousin a small knife, to use only when necessary. "Clementine, stay back!" He instructed her. More gunfire split the air, as Haymitch shot Glimmer and watched her fall from the mountainside. Finn then shot Clove. BOOM. BOOM.

As Annie was preparing a musket to hand to one of her friends, an imposing figure towered over her with a scythe. It was Chaff. She panicked as he beared down on her. She let out a scream just as the gun went off, hitting Chaff right in the heart and making him fall off the rocks, dead. BOOM.

Johanna now was trying to keep the remaining seven tributes back, pushing them down with the butt of her axe. After keeping two at bay, she wheeled about and threw the blade into Wiress' chest before she could attack Katniss and Eric from behind. As Wiress doubled over, Katniss wheeled around and fired an arrow into her temple for good measure. The older, District 3 lady fell from the mountain. Enobaria was rolling on the ground just beyond, wrestling with Blight. Forcing his jaw back with her hand, she bit into his neck hard, before finally throwing him off of her and over the side, panting from some wounds he had dealt her. BOOM. BOOM.

Johanna forced another tribute down, even as yet another - Rue - leapt at her from behind and put her in a headlock. Johanna twisted Rue's arm back, literally throwing the deranged little girl over her and off the mountain. BOOM. Gunfire from one of the tributes hit a little too close for comfort. "Get down, Eric!" Johanna called, as a weakened Enobaria pushed herself up to a raised position. Meanwhile, Beetee got in a kill at last, tazing Foxface until the vicious monster lost her balance and fell from the mountain. BOOM. Bodies littered the mountain face now, Katniss firing arrows at them to ensure death, while also shooting at anything else that moved below.

There were now only three tributes left, without a single casualty from the prisoners: Brutus, Gloss and Thresh. The resurrected victor from District 2 couldn't believe his forces were being crushed. "Fools! Three-quarters of an arena against ten prisoners?!" But, he ordered his remaining companions to attack anyway, thinking that their sheer power and muscle could finally overwhelm the stubborn little band. "Attack! Attack! Get them! Do what you must!"

"How many rounds have we got left?" Peeta called to no one in particular.

"Five!" Katniss replied.

"Five…" he breathed wearily. Peeta spotted Thresh loading a bow and aiming at Katniss from just a short ways down. He pushed her, Eric and Clementine down onto the rocks, covering his family with his own body as an arrow whoozed overhead. Suddenly, the little band could hear what sounded like bombs raining down from the heavens above. Peeta glanced up from the rocky floor and stared in amazement.

"They're running away….. They're running away!" And indeed, the three surviving men were scaling quickly back down the mountain in full retreat, fleeing across the savannah towards the Cornucopia in the distance. The Victors of Panem and the children looked up. Through the forcefield, they could see a craft raining bombs down, penetrating the mechanism and now hitting the arena itself.

"It's a ship! A rebel one! They're firing on the tributes!" Haymitch cheered.

"It looks like one of Gale's ships!" Katniss observed. A bomb suddenly exploded profoundly, blasting Brutus, Gloss and Thresh to smithereens. The cannons didn't even sound this time. Overjoyed, Katniss kissed Peeta long and hard in celebration; her husband only to happy to oblige. The pair held each other happily. "I knew if anyone came for us, it would be him!"

Gale's ships destroyed the arena forcefield at last and blew up the Cornucopia. The prisoners cheered and waved up to the aircraft.

"Yippee! We're here! We're over here! Here we are!"


	7. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Gale's ship airlifted the prisoners off the mountain summit and out of the arena, before spriting them away to District 13.

"You came just in the nick of time," Annie expressed to Gale. "We couldn't have lasted much longer without you."

"Not a problem, Mrs. Odair," Gale smiled, as he finally relented and gave Eric his General hat. "President Paylor and her allies have been arrested and charged with treason. An election for a new president has already been held."

"Really?" Peeta asked, turning back from where he and Katniss were healing Enobaria's broken arm. "Who won?"

Gale's grin broadened. "Why, me, of course." Everyone stared.

"Oh, Gale, congratulations! You'll make a fine President!" Katniss said as she embraced her old friend. Gale looked surprised, but then softened and hugged back; it was clear that there was no longer any animosity between himself and his old hunting partner.

"Thankfully, none of the Districts experienced Paylor's wrath except being made to watch the Games. The citizenry is thrilled that you all made it out alive. That being said, I am taking you back to each of your homes in the morning. Enobaria's and Beetee's injuries shouldn't be an impediment, and perhaps the best medicine is a well-earned rest." The heroes of Panem obeyed their new President's orders.

* * *

The next morning, the Victors of Panem were returned to their homes. Tearful goodbyes were spread all around, along with promises to see each other again on outings and other family events. Finally, the Mellarks and Haymitch were dropped off in District 12.

That night, after Eric and Clementine had been put to bed, Katniss watched her children sleep through a crack in their door. Her eyes saddened and she turned away, flinging herself into Peeta's arms as she began to cry. Haymitch gathered them both into a group hug.

"We may….h-have gotten out of there alive, but….n-now they'll be haunted by memories and n-nightmares for the rest of their lives! I- I didn't want that! It's w-why I never wanted to have them at first; I was afraid something like this would happen!"

Peeta lifted her chin to look at her. "They probably will have nightmares about it. Fortunately, they're alive and here with us. We're all still together… and we'll pull through together. We will never have to go into another arena ever again."

"We better damn not," Haymitch growled. "Twice is enough for me. Hell, _once_ was enough."

The District 12 victors laughed weakly before going downstairs to relax and watch some TV… safe and sound.


End file.
